Mallorca's First Choice

Palace of King Sancho:

Very little remains of the original Gothic "Alcazar". The patio leads to what was once the kitchen of the royal palace and today is a vast hall in which folklore groups still dance the "parado", a minuette-like step, to the strains of old Provençal sea shanties.

Five large paintings by Ricardo Ankerman hang in the hall: the Donation of the Palace to the Monks of Martino I; the Battle of the Moors at Valldemosa; ascene from the conquest of Majorca; Ramón Lull at Miramare; and a portrait of printer Nicolas Calafat. The ceiling feature an allegory of the history of the island. From here, we pass through the old entranceway to the monastery (today, an antechamber) and on to the monumental staircase. The staircase is enriched with a beautiful polychrome statue of Saint Francis of Assisi cut from a single block of wood. The large panel nearby depicts the Exile of Boabdil, the last Moorish king of Granada. Next to the staircase is the entrance to the dining rooms, which are graced by an important collection of English porcelain. The library, located at the base of the large tower, was once the home of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, politician, scientist and poet. He was also ambassador to Russia, Minister of Justice, and a member of the junta that governed Spain during the Napoleonic occupation until, from April, 1801 to May 1802, he was exiled by the same King Carlos IV who had previously shown him so much favor. De Jovellanos was subsequently transferred to the Bellver Castle prison in Palma.

The kings of the short-living Majorcan dynasty once lived in Valldemosa, and records show that Jaime II, the last monarch, sojourned here in 1332 and 1337. However, the palace was in such a grievouse state of abandon that the new king, Martino I (who was so pious that he was called "the Humane"), decided to take this occasion to transform the old manor into a Charterhouse. On June 15, 1399, the deed of transfer was signed and the building passed into the hands of the Carthusian monks ( as we can see from the document on display in the prior's room). As a consequence, all the rooms were modified: the prison became the refectory, the pantry was converted into a sacresty, the storeroom became the chapterhouse, and so on. Each monk had his own threeroom cell plus a small garden. The prior's cell was the largest: it also included a library, rich with antique books, incunabula and manuscripts. There was also a pharmacy that still preserve their time-worn labels. In fact, as soon as they arrived at Valldemosa, the monks began distributing medicines ( often free of charge) to the local populace. The old monastery was also graced by two charming cloisters: the Claustro de la Monjìa (Gothic) and the Claustro de Santa Maria (Reaissance). Much later, in the 18th century, the Cloister of the Myrtles was build; it is known today for its lovely simplicity and the ring of tall cypresses that encircles it.